In transportation in logistic operations, machine-readable codes, hereinafter “codes,” generally in the form of barcodes, are widely used to provide for counting and tracking of inventory. The codes are applied to objects, such as tires and packages, and are often transported on conveyor belts. Although typically in the form of machine-readable codes, the codes may also be in the form of symbols, alphanumeric indicia, or other form, as further described herein, that may be image processed and identified by a machine, and, thus, considered to be machine-readable codes or codes. Because it is typically unknown exactly where the codes will appear on the objects as the objects are transported on a conveyor belt or other forms of transport, an imaging device is positioned at a long-range distance (e.g., 1 m-2.5 m). The camera is used to read the codes positioned on the objects, and a linear image may be captured by linearly scanning an object as the object passes in front of the camera or the camera is moved past an object. However, because the code is physically small as compared to the objects, automatically identifying the location of the codes in the images of the objects is time-consuming, as understood in the art. In particular, the ability to find the code in a transportation and logistics process has been determined to be the primary limitation of throughput of such an image processing system.
In transportation and logistics applications, image acquisition of an object is performed by a linear sensor. The linear image scan is completed when the object finishes passing by the camera. Because a decoding process for reading the code(s) is a main driver of system delay, waiting for the entire image to be generated results in system throughput limitations.